Councils in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have distributed more than a quarter of a billion pounds in grants to struggling businesses and traders since the start of the pandemic, official figures show. The funding came as part of numerous Government grants and support schemes launched during the pandemic to keep businesses afloat during lockdowns and local restrictions.
Tens of thousands of payments were made by councils during the two years to March 2022, with councils saying the support has allowed local traders to keep their heads above water at a time when they were “hit hardest”. Figures from six out of eight distributing authorities in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire show councils distributed at least £285 million over the past two years.
The data includes sums for Bassetlaw, Broxtowe, Gedling, Mansfield, Nottingham and Rushcliffe councils. Ashfield and Newark and Sherwood District Councils did not respond to the request. Nottingham City Council says it is “difficult to put a precise figure” on the exact sum, but confirmed it has distributed more than £100 million in grants to more than 3,000 businesses since March 2020.
